It's Gonna Be Alright
by Melissa's Obsessions
Summary: She had spent four months in that Godforsaken camp. She had memories, memories that she wanted to keep hidden. He knew that if she didn't bring those memories to light they would consume her.
1. Chapter 1

**So yeah, I don't own them.... :(**

* * *

"Well, that's another win for Team Gibbs," Anthony Dinozzo announced to the squad room as he propped his feet onto his desk, smiling smugly.

They had just solved the murder of petty officer Amanda Howard. She had been stabbed four times in the chest, but before that, her assailant decided to rape her. Unfortunately for Petty officer Howard, the stabbings didn't immediately kill her. It was the slow bleeding out that did it. Turns out it was an ex boyfriend who just didn't get it that they were over. Now Gibbs and Company had to wait for their next case.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was finishing up his report when he said, "Dinozzo, didn't your mother ever teach you that your feet belong on the ground and not the furniture?"

Tony's smile disappeared as he quickly dropped his feet back to the floor. Gibbs put away his file and said the one word that he says the most; coffee.

The second Tony heard the elevator's _ping_ he put his feet back where he had them. "So probies, now that we're done and our fearless leader has left, whaddya wanna do?"

Timothy McGee gave him an annoyed look and said, "going to see Abby," then headed towards the back elevator.

With McGee gone, it just left him with Ziva David. "Well Zee-vah, looks like it's just me and you now."

"Or it is just you, Tony," Ziva said without looking up. She did not particularly care for what pranks he wanted to pull on the other workers in the building. All she wanted to do was go home and take a nice warm bath and put this case behind her. This case had been tough on her, if only the headache that she now had was the only proof. It brought back memories, memories that she would rather just leave buried, but of course her mind wouldn't let them stay that way.

Tony just sat and stared at her. He knew something was up. It was easier to read her now that she tucked away her Mossad mask and actually showed some emotion on her face. He also knew that if he asked what was wrong she would tell him that she's fine and to stop asking. Sometimes doing things that never work might actually work out every once in a while. So he took the plunge and asked.

"I am fine."

'Yea right' he thought. This case had somehow gotten to her, that much was easy to tell. The whole time they had been working she had been slightly off, distracted even. Every time he looked over at her, she always had a sad look on her face. There were even a few times he caught her staring off into the distance as if she were remembering something.

So he sat there for a few moments, trying to figure out what to tell her. After much debate in his head, he opted for, "You know, you don't have to tell me what's wrong. Just don't say that you're fine when clearly you're not."

This statement caused her to look up at him. She was slightly shocked. She knew that since her return from Somalia she had changed but she didn't think she was too readable. Obviously she was if he was asking if she was ok. Instead of admitting the truth she only replied, "I do not know what you are talking about. As I said before, I am fine," and then proceeded to pack up since five o'clock had just hit.

Of course he knew that she would deny that she wasn't fine. He wasn't expecting her to spill her heart out to him. He decided not to push her like he normally would. He had a feeling that he knew what it was about and knew that when she was ready she would tell him. He too started parking up when a thought hit him.

"Well alright then, if you're fine then you wouldn't mind coming to dinner with me. They just opened up that new Chinese place and I heard it was spectacular."

Ziva's only thought was: bubble bath. "No Tony, I just want to go home and relax," she said as the entered the elevator.

"Ohh please," Tony begged. "They do have take-out so we can do that and go to either your apartment or mine and watch a movie. I'll supply the beer. It'll be just like old times."

He looked at her and saw that she was debating. "Come on, everyone knows that you can't pass up some good Chinese food and this Chinese food is well beyond good."

She opened her mouth to say no, but when she looked over at him and his big, hopeful eyes she found herself saying, "ok, but we will have to do it at your place because I still not have gotten the chance to buy a new TV."

"Alright, so come over in about an hour. I'll have the beer and food waiting."

"What movie?" she asked as they exited the elevator at the parking garage.

Tony did a very quick mental check of the DVD's he had just recently bought. "Oh, Inglorious Bastards. I think you would enjoy it. See you in a bit." And with that they got into their separate cars and left.

* * *

Ziva stepped into her apartment and looked around. Since all of her belongings had been blown up she had to start all over, again. Luckily her friends and coworkers had some furniture that they no longer needed and passed onto her so that was less that she had to buy. She had finally finished buying what she considered as 'basic necessities' and was now working on the non-requirements, like decorations and a TV.

She looked at the clock and decided that she had enough time for a quick shower. "Well, I won't get a warm and relaxing bath but maybe a hot shower will take away the headache," she said to no one but herself.

When she finally stepped out of the shower she debated on what to wear. She knew that she didn't have to dress nice. It was only dinner and a movie at one of her friend's house. So she decided on sweatpants and a tee-shirt. 'Well that chooses what I'm doing with my hair' she thought. She left it down to dry on its own but grabbed a pony-tail holder just in case she wanted to put it up later. After putting her clothes in the laundry room she put on her shoes and decided she was ready, and with one final look in the mirror, she put on a hoodie, grabbed her keys and left.

Since he was supplying the food, the movie, and the beer, she decided she should at least bring dessert so she went to nearest bakery for some of his favorite cupcakes.

* * *

Once Tony put the food on the counter and the beer in the fridge he turned towards his entertainment center and prepped the movie. He was beyond ecstatic when Ziva said yes and was now hoping that tonight wouldn't be a disaster. He missed his best friend. They hadn't been as close as they were that summer when Gibbs left since the whole Jeanne debacle. He was hoping tonight they could start heading back in that direction. He also hoped that she would open up to him; to tell him about what happened in Somalia. She needed to tell someone before it consumed her.

He had the same idea as Ziva and wore a tee-shirt and sweatpants. It was, in fact, their attire when they had their movie nights so long ago.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on his door.

'Here goes nothing,' he thought and opened the door.

"Hi," she said and held out the cupcakes. "Since you bought everything else I figured I should at least buy dessert."

He looked at the cupcakes and his face lit up. "Ohhh! The choco-holic cupcake. My favorite!"

They both headed to the kitchen. He grabbed the food, she grabbed the beer. Once everything was splayed out on the coffee table, he hit play on his remote and they engrossed themselves in food and the movie.

* * *

As the credits were rolling, neither one could stop laughing.

Tony was the first to recover, slightly, and choked out, "that was the funniest movie I have ever seen!"

His partner could only nod her head. A moment later, when she was able to catch her breath, Ziva asked if he was ready for cupcakes.

"Oh hell yeah!" he replied rather exuberantly and jumped up to grab them from his kitchen.

He handed one to Ziva and then sat back down beside her to eat his cupcake.

Ziva watched him eat his cupcake like a pig. She knew that he would probably be asking the one question she dreaded hearing anyone ask. It shouldn't be any different than the other times he or anyone else asked. He'll ask, she'll say that she doesn't want to talk about it, and he'll drop it… for now. But somehow while she was looking at him with a childish grin (plus half his cupcake) on his face it all felt different. She knew she could trust him with anything. He proved that when he risked his life just to avenge her death. He already knew something was up; he had asked her about it earlier. And of course she told him she was fine.

He felt her staring at him. When he looked over at her, she had a look of contemplation on her face.

"What're you thinking about?"

Tony had startled her when he spoke. She didn't even realize that he was looking at her. It was at that moment when she saw the concern in his eyes that she decided that it was either now or never.

"So, you want to know about Somalia…."

* * *

**Let me know if you think it's worth continuing. Criticism and praise welcomed. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for your reviews! I continued on but this is the last chapter. I think all that needs to be said is said here. If I made it too OOC, I'm sorry! Enjoy!**

**Oh, and I do not own them.**

* * *

"_So, you want to know about Somalia…."_

Tony just looked at her, waiting for her to continue. He could tell she was struggling with what to say next, so he just said, "take all the time you need."

She gave him a small, grateful smile. Ziva didn't really want to talk about what happened but she knew that if she didn't people would constantly ask her about it, only pissing her off even more. She and Tony had been through so much together, had shared so much already, he was her safest bet.

So they just sat, in silence, on his couch for a few minutes. He was staring at her; she was staring at the floor. Finally she turned towards him and leaned back against the arm rest; he copied her movements against the other one.

After a minute more she finally had the courage to look into his waiting eyes and began again:

"When Salim and his men captured me, they put me in the room that you and McGee were in. For the first two weeks it was all about 'tell me about Mossad, NCIS, any information you have on other agencies.' He used every trick that you can think of; beating, mutilation, starvation, dunking me in water, using electricity etc. He liked the popular torture methods," she chuckled sadly. "Of course I could handle all of that. Mossad trained me to handle just about every technique imaginable." She stopped and started staring at their legs, which were basically intertwined with each other.

Tony's eyes hadn't left her the whole time. He watched her pick at a string that was coming out of the couch. He didn't want to prod her for more since she was willing to share but he knew that she might stop there if she took a break in talking. "There's more, isn't there?" he asked her.

"Yes."

"What happened after those two weeks?"

At this point she got up and walked to the window. It had started raining halfway through their movie. She followed one rain drop that was traveling slowly down the window. Tony stayed on the couch, watching her closely.

Ziva took a deep breath and then continued.

"Well, that was when the severe beatings and torturing happened. I was still beaten after that but it was not for information. It did not seem as though he cared that much for information. When he realized that he was not going to get anything from me he stopped." She stopped talking again. She took a minute to clean up the mess they made, trying to pretend that that was it. That there was no more. Before returning to the living room she grabbed a couple of beers.

Tony wished that she would stop putting off completing her story. He wanted it to be quick, like pulling off a band aid. But again he couldn't push her. So he just sat there and waited for her to return. His mind started wondering over what she has already said. He wanted to know every detail but there was a lil' nudge in the back of his head told him that he didn't need to know all the details about her being tortured. There was something else coming; something that haunted her even more than being beaten. Like she said, Mossad trained her to deal with all of that. Obviously they skipped a lesson. He was brought out of his reverie when a beer was put in front of his face. "Here," was all she said. Once Tony took his beer she situated herself back on the couch and just looked at him. The silence was killing him so he decided to push just a little bit.

"You're still holding out on me," he said.

'Deny,' a voice in her head said. So she complied, "No I'm not."

"Oh really? You can't lie to me Zee. Remember what I said about your eyes never shutting up?"

'Damn,' she thought.

"Well, it was thirty men, in the middle of nowhere, and their only captive just happened to be a woman. I am sure you can guess what happened for the next three and a half months."

Before she even finished saying 'nowhere' Tony had jumped up from the couch and started pacing the floor. Of course he wanted the whole truth. He wanted to know everything, and he knew what she had to say would be hard to hear but he was still unprepared for it. The only thought running through his head was 'those bastards used my best friend as a sex toy; they better be glad that they're dead.'

Ziva knew better than to try and calm him down. It would be completely useless. She could see the rage rolling off him like waves. There was a hurricane going on in his head. She decided to just wait for the storm to pass. It was easier than she thought to block him out. All she had to do was focus on not crying. Before Somalia, she would never even think of crying. It was something that Mossad frowned upon. In fact, Mossad frowned upon any emotion so she learned not to show any period. But during Somalia, Salim and his men was able to break through that barrier. Now she had to watch herself when it came to emotions.

After about ten minutes of nothing but silence Tony finally spoke up while continuing his pacing.

"Is that it?"

His voice startled her slightly but it was enough to break her concentration and allow a single tear to flow freely down her cheek. She choked out an almost inaudible, "yes."

Her voice made him stop and look at her. When he did she was looking right at him and he could tell that she was trying not to cry. If it's one thing he knows about Ziva, whether it be the old one or the new one, it's that she doesn't like to cry. Of course the new one wasn't as ashamed of herself when she felt the urge to cry but she still didn't want to. 'Baby steps,' is what he thought to himself. She said what she had to say and she only needed for someone to listen to her.

Tony walked over to the coffee table and sat down on it right in front of her, first wiping away that stray tear and then placing his hands on her knees. "I take it that's why you've been taking this case hard. You could relate. I know that this isn't over for you. You're gonna be living with what happened for the rest of your life. I'm glad that you trust me enough to tell me what happened. And I know that there are still some things that you still need to get out and when you're ready to talk about it more, I'm here for you. Like you said in the men's room that one time, I always have your back. Nothing's gonna change that."

The tears were threatening to spill over but she held them back as she said, "Yes, it is. And I know."

"Well," he said as sitting down on the couch beside her, rubbing her knee softly, "we have some cupcakes left and they're doing a midnight screening of the classic _It's a Wonderful Life _at the park. We can eat the rest of the cupcakes and watch my all-time favorite movie." The classic Dinozzo grin was upon his face causing Ziva to smile.

"What if I want to watch my favorite movie, Tony? Have you ever thought about that?" she asked playfully.

"Oh God Zee! I am never watching _The Sound of Music _with you ever again!" Tony exclaimed.

This caused her to produce a big belly laugh. "It was not that bad."

"Easy for you to say. You sang every song, verrrrry loudly."

"Oh, so I cannot sing? Is that what you are trying to say Tony?" She sounded so serious but Tony saw that small glint of playfulness in her eyes.

He decided to join in the 'seriousness,' "I wouldn't quit my day job if I were you."

The serious look on his face caused more laughter to erupt from Ziva. "Ok Tony, I will grab the rest of the cupcakes and we can go to park."

He went to go grab a couple of blankets while she went into the kitchen to get the cupcakes. As Tony was putting on his coat he saw that she only had a hoodie. "Did you not bring a coat? It's cold outside."

"No, I did not plan on being outside for long," she replied.

"Oh ok. Well here, you can put this jacket on over top of your hoodie so you don't catch a cold." He handed her his Ohio State jacket.

Normally, she would decline any offers like that but it was really cold outside. It was December in DC after all.

"Thank you Tony." She put on his jacket and Tony started heading out the door but a hand on his arm stopped him. He turned to look at the person who was attached to the hand.

"I mean it. Thank you for listening to me and not trying to push me. Most people would have prodded me for more information. Thank you." For the second time that night, her eyes welled up a little but she was able to control it.

"Well, what are friends for?" And there was that Dinozzo grin again.

"Definitely not telling them they are horrible at singing," she chuckled and slapped his arm while walking out of the apartment.

"Hey, I was only joking with you," he said as he locked the door.

"Riiiight."

So they walked down the sidewalk to the park laughing and talking about the epic prank they pulled on poor Edward Franks in the cubicle right behind Ziva yesterday. Both were glad to be working on their friendship again. It was something they both missed. They knew it was going to be a hard road with sharp turns and many bumps, but in the end it would be worth it to have their best friend back.

* * *

**Reviews would be lovely. :)**


End file.
